Shotgun Friday: Movies. I love them.

I don’t think I’m alone in the world in imagining this flick may be the worst idea since Greedo shooting first.-Holden McNeel

It’s sunny out in the ‘Burgh today, it’s Friday, and that means it’s time for something fun!

Everyone that knows me (in WoW, in RL) knows that I love to watch movies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no movie snob. In fact, I like just about everything I see. Like is a pretty broad term. I watch plenty of films that I think are terrible, but…oddly enjoyable. Movies that people hate and will never watch I’ll see just for the sheer entertainment of watching good actors play terrible roles.

I could name a top 5 by director, top 10 by studio, or a top 15 by genre if I wanted, but I thought I would just focus on the flicks that have some of my favorite quotes, lines, and characters. DVDs that I can just pop in and watch in the background as we’re raiding. One or two of these might fall into the “all-time” favorites category, but mostly these are just movies I can go back and forth to and still enjoy fully.

Let’s do 5, but let’s set some rules. Different genres, different actors (exception: Kevin Bacon), different directors.

For my money, I’ll take the universe born from the brain of Red Bank, New Jersey native Kevin Smith. You can’t pick just one. While Mall Rats, Clerks, and Dogma all stand on their own as quality comedy movies, Jay and Silent Bob Strike back brings all of Kevin Smiths ridiculous characters and sub plots together into 100 minutes of pure insanity.

The cameos never stop (from Will Ferrell to Mark Hamill) as the movie goes from scene to scene, interacting with all of Smith’s characters in one form, a different form, or all forms (Jason Lee as Banky Edwards and Brodie Bruce!).

Kevin Smith doesn’t stop making fun of just about everyone that he possibly can:

The cast of Dawson’s Creek

His good friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

PETA

Park Rangers

Internet Message Boards

Miramax Studios

Just to name a few. It’s purely for fun, purely for the never-ending string of in-jokes and pop culture references, and purely for everything that I love about movies: Just entertain me.

4. Commando

Definitely my number one Arnold movie. What better flick than Commando to pull out some truly epic lines to throw down after taking down a new boss?

Just some of the most classic lines ever uttered by the great Governator. I could watch this movie over and over again for the cheesy 80s reggae-esque music, the random boobs, the M60 with unlimited ammo, and everything else to go along with the action movie that was the father of all modern action movies.

3. Goodfellas

Scorsese’s second best movie (/bow to Raging Bull), but one that I find myself watching most often. For one, it has all of the gangster/character actors you know and love from Frank Vincent and Tony Darrow, to Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico.

A crime drama sensationalizes felonies and makes the bad guys portrayed in these films into the good guys, but that’s not something we’re here to discuss. Beneath the grimy exterior of the mob, lies an underworld that has it’s own rules, it’s own lingo, and an unmatched fierce loyalty among the members.

While the WoW raiding community isn’t anywhere close to illegal (most of the time), it shares some parralels with being an underground lifestyle. Outsiders are avoided, for better or for worse, and peer accomplishments are celebrated. An attack on one, is attack on everyone.

Unless of course, we’re talking about rival families.

“I’m not mad, I’m proud of you. You took your first pinch like a man and you learn two great things in your life. Look at me, never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”– Jimmy Conway

Sorry, Jimmy.

2. Apollo 13

This is one of those movies that I can pick up and watch from any point in the movie as if I had been watching it from start to finish. From a film-making perspective, it is incredibly well crafted and paced. The final days leading up to and resulting from the fateful flight of Odyssey and the crew of Apollo 13 are expertly cast and shot

As an engineer this movie is like what All The Right Moves was for football players and Fast Times At Ridgemont High was for high schoolers in the 1980s. Everything from the “Square box in a round hole” solution to the scene with 20 pocket-protector wielding, horn-rimmed glasses wearing, super geniuses arguing how to get the CM online and capable with only a few amps to work with.

The most memorable quote always seems to be the classic “Houston, we have a problem.” Those words, uttered by Capt. Jim Lovell in film and in reality, have become a minor meme in all walks of life to describe some truly “bad” situations.

This isn’t my favorite, though, for this I refer to Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz:

Gene Kranz owning NASA press chief Henry Hurt is one of the best lines in any movie…ever. Just a reminder to everyone that it’s when times are the most bleak, when it seems like everything is going wrong, that is when one’s true character and ability are shown. A great Red, White, and Blue moment. Put this on your list for 4th of July.

“That’s a negative, Jim, I don’t have the measles”–Ken Mattingly

1. Pulp Fiction

No surprise here for anyone that’s read this blog for any length of time. Aside from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the most quotable movies ever made. Quintin Tarantino’s signature picture is certainly my favorite. If I was held at gun point like Brad, and quizzed if English was spoken in What, this is what I would pick.

The soundtrack, the non-linear style of the story, and it’s signature characters have you piecing together the story as you go, trying to figure out “what the hell is in that brief case?”

Some of my favorite movies are Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns and Bruce Lee’s Kung-Fu films. Both genres and styles are played off of in Tarantino’s films. He even describes the surfer music he uses in Pulp Fiction as “rock and roll spaghetti western music.”

Of course, no character is better or more well known than Marcellus Wallace’s cleaner: Winston Wolf.

“It’s 30 minutes away, I’ll be there in 10”

Winston Wolf was a character written for Harvey Keitel (star of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s first feature), and he plays it perfectly. The Wolf is sent to clean up the mess created by Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield, and in doing so, creates another one of my favorite movie scenes.

All that needs to be said.

Movie Night

I wouldn’t say any of the above films are “required watching” for raiding with me, but being fans of the above scores in huge points with me every time. Bringing it back to WoW, Winston Wolf is a character that I like to think is pretty close to how a raid leader needs to be during crunch time. During a fight or when things get hairy, you need to give quick, succinct, and straight forward instruction. There isn’t time to discuss it, you need to “think fast” and “act fast.” There’s no need to take it personally (unless they get personal, which they shouldn’t), and afterwards everyone can go out for some pancakes before driving back to the sticks.

“It’s your future… I see a cab ride. Move out of the sticks, gentlemen”–Winston Wolf

Edit: Brain fart on What (say What again… I dare you)

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This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 3:38 pm and is filed under The Rest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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4 Responses to Shotgun Friday: Movies. I love them.

The Holy Grail only gets a mere mention?! I am appalled, speachless, and otherwise convinced I can no longer listen to your blogging advice. If you are not going to sit and recite the entire bridge goblin scene with me then I’m afraid you’re going be stricken from the blogroll!

I mean, I don’t know how I could ever read someone who doesn’t believe the earth to be banana-shaped. Sheesh.